When my family and I are back in America, we spend a lot of time in Harlem, New York City, so on a recent trip to Amsterdam, we were curious to take a fifteen minute train ride to see Haarlem, the New York neighborhood’s namesake from back in the distant days when Dutch was the lingua franca of the Big Apple.

Haarlem,  just 20 kilometers west of Amsterdam, is extremely easy to reach and a great Europe destination. Trains depart approximately every 15 minutes from Amsterdam’s Centraal Station (round-trip tickets are 7.50 euro adults/ 3 euro children). Although Haarlem is the Netherlands’ eighth largest city, it’s a European city with small town charm that makes for a pleasant Amsterdam day trip from the busy capital.

Grote Markt is the picturesque main town square. We were unfortunate not to have been here on a Saturday, when the entire square is the site of a large and colourful outdoor market. My Europe travel tip would be to try to make it here for the market, which must be lovely in this dramatic town square.

One of the draws of Haarlem is the Gothic cathedral, Sint-Bavokerk. The cathedral is also famous for its flamboyant, 18^th century  pipe organ, said to be among the best organs in the world. Famous musicians and composers who have performed here, including Händel and the then-10-year-old Mozart,  have confirmed this claim, expressing their enthusiasm for the organ’s superb quality.

Haarlem was also home to the Golden Age Dutch artist Frans Hals (1580 -1666) and the excellent Hals Museum (open daily 11:00– 17:00, Adults 7.50 euro ) contains the largest collection of his paintings in the world.

It’s pleasant to walk around this small city and to wander around the banks of the Spaarne River.

Find Great Deals on Hotels in Haarlem

You could also use the city as a short break base, you can find low prices on Haarlem hotels using the HotelsCombined price comparison site.